MY HEART IS THE DRUM

Book by Jennie Redling
Music and Concept by Phillip Palmer • Lyrics by Stacey Luftig

A Spirited and Inspiring New Musical

In the small village of Kafrona in Ghana, one spirited young woman is determined to attend university, against all odds. So when her education is denied, she defies her parents and risks everything to set off for the big city. But what awaits her there is more dangerous than she dared imagine, and she finds that more than just her dreams are at stake.

This production marks the exciting World Premiere of My Heart Is the Drum, which was originally selected for Village Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals in 2014 and was further developed through the Village Originals program. Featuring an award-winning book and score, the musical is rich with inspiring characters and driving African rhythms, woven together in a story that celebrates strength, courage, and the love that sustains us through even the most harrowing of circumstances.

My Heart Is the Drum addresses challenging themes such as education equality, the AIDS epidemic, and human trafficking. Village Theatre will be working with local and international organizations to offer post-show talkbacks and other resources to provide additional insights on these important subjects. See below for more details.

Talkback Series

TALKBACKS IN ISSAQUAH:

Saturday, March 19 at 2:00 PM – My Heart Is the Drum authors discuss the show’s history and inspiration

Saturday, April 2 at 2:00 PM – Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Councilmember District 4, is also a member of the UW Women’s Center Anti-Trafficking Task Force, the Statewide Coordinating Committee on Sex Trafficking, and the Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Statewide Coordinating Committee. She also worked on anti-trafficking legislation from 2002 through last December as a state senator.

Sunday, April 17 at 7:00 PM – Lauren Davis, Fulbright Fellow who spent two years in Ghana researching access to education for the urban poor

Tuesday, April 19 at 7:30 PM – Members of the cast speak about the show and the process of working on a World Premiere

* Times listed are the start time of the performance. Talkbacks will take place immediately following the conclusion of the show, with a brief pause for set-up.

Further Reading

Interested in learning more about African culture and some of the issues addressed in My Heart Is the Drum? Librarians at the King County Library System have graciously provided the following list for further reading. Books can be checked out through both the King County and the Everett Public Library System. Happy reading!

Americana Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi

Little Bee Cleave, Chris

Thirty Girls Minot, Susan

Chanda's Secrets Stratton, Allan

Say You're One of Them Akpan, Uwem

Half of A Yellow Sun Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi

Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya Napoli, Donna Jo

What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng: A Novel Eggers, Dave

Ghana Must Go Selasi, Taiye

The Hairdresser of Harare Huchu, Tendai

Baking Cakes in Kigali: A Novel Parkin, Gaile

The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales From Africa McCall Smith, Alexander

Wife of the Gods: A Novel Quartey, Kwei J.

Fast Facts about My Heart Is the Drum

Phillip Palmer, the show's composer, has devoted five years to humanitarian work in Haiti and several African countries, where he also immersed himself in the study of the syncopated rhythms of traditional drumming and singing.

My Heart is the Drum has been developed at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, where all three collaborators are members. Jennie Redling received the Jerry Harrington Award for Creative Excellence from BMI for her work on the book.

The show tackles global women's issues that Hillary Clinton calls "the unfinished business of the 21st century" with writers who have first-hand experience; composer Phillip Palmer worked as a volunteer at an AIDS counseling center in South Africa and bookwriter Jennie Redling is a certified rape-crisis/sexual-assault counselor.

Cast

*The Actors and Stage Managers are members of the Actor's Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Gallery

Video

Press

“My Heart Is the Drum is a musical with great staging, costumes, music, dance and singing. It’s also a musical that ventures into tough issues like sex trafficking, prostitution and AIDS and grapples with the roles and rights of girls and women—all of which make for terrific fodder for discussion with teens.”
Parent Map

“Damn near transcendent … It doesn’t matter if you’re a hardcore theater buff, a dabbler or a newbie. Just see it.”
The Eastside Scene

"By the time the final curtain falls on Village Theatre’s world premiere of 'My Heart is the Drum,' you’ll know you’ve just witnessed something extraordinary. To say the musical production was a tour de force is not just hyperbole. Usually the term is reserved for singling out one particular performance. But the entire cast of 'My Heart is the Drum' is so memorable, the accolade must be shared from the tallest dancer to the youngest extra."
Issaquah Press

"Set in Ghana in 2000, this promising musical features a yearning, percussive score by composer Phillip Palmer and a winning assortment of ballads and comic songs from lyricist Stacey Luftig."
Seattle Times

"The technical elements are gorgeous. The set (Carey Wong) and costumes (Karen Ann Ledger) are vibrant and beautiful. The music feels authentically and pulsatingly Ghanaian. The cast is winning, with Gypsy Rose Lee award-winner Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako in the lead. Sonia Dawkins’ choreography is quite wonderful. And there is a tiny dancer, Lydia Delane Olson, who is a revelation at such a young age."
Miryam’s Theater Musings

“…beautiful, well-done, even sumptuous…gorgeous in its simplicity, from beginning to end…the music seemed as comfortable as an old shoe, the tunes and lyrics lovingly fit to each character and each situation."
Drama in the Hood

"Director Schele Williams fills the stage with the rhythms of Africa and impressions of its landscape. … Carey Wong’s scenic design combines with Aaron Copp’s lighting to create magnificent visual images. One massive tree, a baobab perhaps, dominates many of the scenes. It’s a splendid evocation, especially when the stage is bathed in Copp’s elegant shifting pastel shades."
Arts Stage - Seattle Rage

"Nako is thoroughly engaging and you truly want to root for her to succeed ... Weil plays a lovely counterpart for the clever Efua and you can totally see the chemistry between the two and why they fight for each other. Lauren Du Pree has some stunning moments as Kanika, one of the other working girls, including her powerful song 'No Control.’ And Jon-Michael Reese practically steals the show as Efua's intended, Edward, with his killer voice and hilarious comedic timing and expressions."
Broadway World

"We’re incredibly fortunate. And there is so much talent here. There’s so much joy in the room, the spirit and energy has been so high. We’re also excited to bring a show that we’ve lived with for so long to the Seattle area community at large. It’s a gift!”
Lyricist Stacey Luftig in interview with Seattle Gay Scene

"It’s set in Ghana, so we have the richness of that landscape represented on stage and the richness of the music and the culture and the dance and the movement and all of that, however the story itself, and the characters themselves, could be anywhere in the world. We’re discussing things that exist here in Seattle, things that exist all over the United States."
Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako in interview with Seattle Met

“You don’t usually see a musical that has such depth and is willing to go there. I thought if I get the opportunity to guide this production through all these murky waters, it’s going to be an incredible challenge, but it’s going to be thrilling for me as a director.”
Director Schele Williams in interview with Issaquah Press

Single Ticket Prices

Ticket Prices

General

Senior

Youth

Section

A

B

A

B

A

B

Sat Mat / Sat Eve / Sun Mat

$68

$53

$64

$49

$56

$41

Tue Eve / Wed Eve / Thu Mat /
Thu Eve / Fri Eve / Sun Eve

$63

$48

$59

$44

$51

$36

Preview

$55

$40

$55

$40

$55

$40

* Youth 18 & Under | Senior 65 & Older

Seating Chart

My Heart Is the Drum was presented at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals in 2013. www.namt.org